Saturday, March 31, 2012

early, foggy morning on "prairie hill." our house is the white one on the right. i live in prairie paradise.

the field is decked with "blue star." everywhere stars,,,

i found this interesting.

a new flower is appearing - it's small and delicate. i haven't identified it yet.

this is the "western wall flower." it's abundant right now.

the other day i was visiting with my neighbor and she told me about her brother who had been a tree expert - he was 6 when he knew what he wanted to do with his life and he ended up traveling all over the world because of his knowledge. my neighbor pointed to a tree in my front yard and shared that it's roots had been exposed when our house was being constructed. see, several post oaks had to be cleared; but many more remained. i'm grateful for every tree still standing. i love these hardy oaks! my neighbor, jed, learned from her brother that a tree dies within 1-5 years once its roots have been exposed. i hope our tree lives for many years to come. today i was sitting at a different angle, close to it and noticed something amazing in the trunk. wow!

this beetle was irked with me - it released some chemical funk on my hand -

Monday, March 26, 2012

my 44th birthday today - on a beautiful, sunny spring day - i'm happy, healthy and loved. what more? well, a rattlesnake sang happy birthday to me. lol. greg and i were taking pictures on a different rock when a rattler underneath warned us that it was perturbed. wow! we scat!!

my honey was not feeling well today. but some fresh air never hurt anyone.

they're majestic - and i never take for granted that i can gaze at them,

less than a mile away, at the wichita mountain wildlife refuge.

he's got a dirty face and horns!

i received some thoughtful gifts from my husband - one being the latest book

on oklahoma wildflowers! it's quite awesome.

picked myself a yellow & violet b-day bouquet, roots included,,,

compliments of prairie hill.

i grew up in germany, and i remember the simple birthday gifts we gave

each other when we were children. my favorite from a neighboring friend,,,

Thursday, March 22, 2012

We went to the Medicine Bluffs today. This historic landmark is in the Ft. Sill military base and located at the eastern end of the Wichita Mountains. It was
noted, described, and explored by all early expeditions and was held in
deep reverence by the Indian tribes of this area from time immemorial.
The four continuous bluffs form a picturesque crescent a mile in length
- the result of an ancient cataclysm in
which half of a rock dome was raised along a crack or fault.

A rock cairn erected by medicine men on its summit was still standing
when Fort Sill was founded. Here the sick were brought to be healed or
disposed of by the Great Spirit, young braves fasted in lonely vigils
seeking visions of the supernatural, and warriors presented their
shields to the rising sun for power. Legends say that this was also a
famous place for Indian suicides. The huge fissure between bluffs no. 2
and 3 was known as the “Medicine Man’s Walk.”

I feel a certain awe when I'm in this place - not only for it natural beauty but for its history as well. When I saw the bird with spread wings overlooking the bluff - it was a symbol of strength and sacredness to me... .

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Walking around "Prairie Hill" this evening I found some beautiful little

jump-on-spring flowers growing out of this dry, rocky terrain,,,

"Crow Poison" or "False Garlic"

"Missouri Violet"

"Spring Beauty"

"Narrow Leafed Puccoon"

Spiral Lichen

Altar to a Broken Heart

And I found a broken heart!

Yes, I picked it up and brought it home. :)

I'm working on a small watercolor journal of prairie flowers. I've painted 18 flowers so far and I'm using my latest book, Roadside Flowers of Oklahoma, to help with identification. This is a very informative, yet relaxing and meditative 'project.'

Prairie Hill Studio

Hello, thank you for visiting. My name is Sandra and I happily live in Medicine Park, Oklahoma, right by the magnificent Wichita Mountains. My studio is located on second floor of the house which overlooks 'my' beloved Prairie Hill. I'm grateful to be surrounded by nature and I especially gather inspiration from the flowers, birds and skies. Currently, I'm focusing on watercolor and oil painting the native wildflowers. Oh, the occasional skulls that I find around the hill are included as well.